Keziz
“Cut off, or abrupt”
Summary
A valley and city in the territory of Benjamin, located on the eastern border of the tribe near Jericho.
☩Location and Identity
Keziz appears in the list of cities allocated to the tribe of Benjamin, though it is more properly called Emek-Keziz, meaning "Valley of Keziz." The site was located on the eastern border of Benjamin's territory, between Beth-hoglah and Beth-arabah, suggesting a position in the steep ravines leading down to the Jordan valley near Jericho. The name derives from a Hebrew root meaning "to cut," possibly referring to timber that was cut from the large groves that anciently grew near Jericho and along the Jordan River. The French explorer De Saulcy found a valley still bearing the name Kaaziz about an hour and a half distant from Bethany in the direction of Jericho, and this has been proposed as the ancient site. The connection to wood-cutting may explain John the Baptist's vivid imagery nearby: "now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees."
Related Verses1 mention
Joshua· 1 verse
References
- 1.George Morrish, "Keziz," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 2.John McClintock and James Strong, "Keziz," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Keziz," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.James Orr (ed.), "Keziz," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 5.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Keziz," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).